Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation: A WIP Summary

[Nordue]

• ---
  A Chapter-by-Chapter Summary of
  
  Wolves
  Behaviour, Ecology, and Conservation
  Edited by David L. Mech and Luigi Boitani
  
  Brought to you voluntarily by WQ Community member Tonbei
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  ABOUT
  
  • When I first heard about Wolves: Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation, I knew I wanted to get my hands on it. After what was probably a year since that decision, I did, via my boyfriend's credit card and Amazon.ca. About thirty dollars and two days later, it arrived. At last, I was about to explore the scientific realm of the species that has engaged me for many years through this handy compilation of research, literally at my fingertips. At last, I could get a more accurate picture of the wolf's mark on the world, and those living in it.
    
    As I read the Forward and Preface sections, it dawned on me that my possession of this book could be used to educate not only myself, but the WolfQuest Community and anyone else who happened to read this online. I have decided to provide a chapter-by-chapter summary of direct and paraphrased lines from this book, so that those who seek a simple, science-based summary of the wolf can do so here, without reading the entire book themselves, or spending hours sifting through complex peer-reviewed literature.
    
    As I explore the wolf from the perspective of the world's leading scientific experts at my leisure, feel free to read the summary points I collect and post as I make my way through this comprehensive overview. There is no guarantee this will be done on a scheduled basis, as I am a full-time university student, but feel free to check in periodically, or to purchase or explore the book for yourselves. And do not forget, there is the online scientific literature to explore also! And if you do not understand something you see here, or have comments of another nature, you are welcome to share them here.
    
    Please note that due to the volume of information to process, and the generally informal nature of this forum, I cannot reasonably source the authors behind each sentence of this summary. As such, please be aware that the information in this book came from many different authors, not just the two you read at the top of this article. If you would like to know the precise source of anything written here, please ask and I will provide it! Also, if you are wishing to quote something here elsewhere (although I do not recommend you source this for academic-related projects), either source this topic or the book itself.
    
    Happy reading,
    • Tonbei
  NAVIGATION AND SEARCHING
  
  • I upload my notes based on the text in the order it appears in the book, but I do not use the book's sub-headings, as I am merely uploading a summary, and some of the headings are not useful and rather confusing in this context. If you are interested in a certain topic, like wolf pack structure, try using your web browser's search feature (ex. Chrome is Cntrl + F on keyboard) to bring up the search bar. Once I finish each chapter, I may add my own sub-sections if needed.
  CHAPTER 1: WOLF SOCIAL ECOLOGY
  L. David Mech and Luigi Boitani
  
  • - One of the main ways wolves become breeders is by dispersing from a pack, travelling to a new area, establishing a territory, and securing a mate. A new pack can form from the pups that result from a mating.
    - The most basic social unit is the mated pair. Mated pair + various relatives of both members is also possible.
    - If one mate dies, it is usually a temporary state of remaining parent + offspring that can be replaced by a new mate entering the territory of the former pair.
    - Offspring remain with their parents for 10-54 months. All offspring disperse, except under special circumstances. Packs may include offspring of up to four years of litters.
    - Adoptees sometimes join packs that already have a breeding pair. Do not confuse an adoptee with a wolf that comes in to replace a former member of the breeding pair!
    - Most adoptees are male, and join between February and May. They are usually 1-3 years old. Ages older than this are usually chased off or killed.
    - Female dispersals are accepted in the case that the previous breeding female perishes.
    - Adoptees remain in a pack for only a few days to several years.
    - Young wolves postpone reproduction due to breeding competition while still in their natal (birth) packs.
    - When all possible territories are occupied, and the wolf population is essentially at max capacity, a wolf looking to mate has several options: 1. Wait for a breeding position to open in the natal pack or a neighboring pack. 2. Become an extra breeder. 3. Force a new territory within the already established territories. 4. Usurp an active breeder.
    - Some wolves are "biders". They leave their pack, but remain in the territory, waiting for a breeding opportunity within the pack, ex. if one of the breeding pair dies. This is thought to be a strategy for weaker individuals.
    - Some maturing wolves remain in their natal pack and breed in addition to the pack's breeding pair. This is referred to as "multiple breeding".
    - Multiple breeding is likely to occur by adoptee males mating maturing females.
    - Inbreeding is rare in wild wolves, and common in captive wolves. This is because outbreeding is possible, and inbreeding by usurping an established breeder is more dangerous.
    - Multiple breeding scenarios require ample food in order to produce more than one female who has sufficient nutrition to be able to reproduce.
    - When food is scarce, younger pack members receive less food.
    - Aggression increases when food is scarce.
    - Budding: a wolf disperses from its natal pack, and establishes a territory with a floater that overlaps/is right beside with its natal pack's territory.
    - Pack splitting is when a group from the natal pack splits off and establishes a new territory. It is often the case with larger packs.
    - Floaters are wolves that disperse and travel around the local population along territory boundaries, seeking out potential mates to establish a territory with within the territory mosaic already present.
    - Groups of floaters do exist.
    - Successful dispersal tends to fail when food is scarce, and succeed when food is abundant.
    - Usurping an established breeder is the most dangerous way to get a mate. Whereas mortality from this is higher in captive packs (no escape for the loser), in wild populations, the loser has a better chance to escape with their life.
    - In general, inbreeding (parent-to-offspring mating, sib-to-sib mating, etc.) will not occur in wild wolves when outbreeding (mating to unrelated or distantly related wolves) is possible.
    - Wolves often fight to the death. These are caused by encounters near territory edges or from wolves in a neighboring territory. Of these deaths, more are mature, breeding adults than juvenile subordinates. Some of these fights could stem from challenges for the breeding position.
    - Directional Dispersal: moving a long distance in relatively one direction, taking a wolf into new population, or the edge of the species' range.
    - When dispersals settle, they may: position themselves with the mosaic of distant populations, join an existing pack, or pair with a wolf of the opposite gender in an area un-established by breeding wolves.
    - The distance a wolf disperses is a good indicator of what breeding strategy they adopted. Near-dispersers: binding (from biding?) or budding with a neighboring pack, or usurpation of a breeder. Distant dispersers: chance finding or founding a new population.
    - Competition for resources can trigger dispersion. If conditions are stable, there is no prompt to disperse.
    - In one study of the Denali wolf population, of the nine out of sixteen pairs that managed to produce pups and hold down a territory for a year or more, at least seven of these did so via budding (carving out territory adjacent/partly within their natal territory.
    - Adult wolves that have left/lost their previous breeding status compete with floaters
    - Wolf pack sizes are flexible in response to the dynamic social and ecological factors impacting wolves.
    - A higher proportion of wolves in a pack stay for less than five years.
    - Basic pack structure: breeding pair + offspring.
    - Male wolves are generally 20% larger/heavier than females
    - Offspring of the breeding pair are usually from more than one litter
    - Pups reach adult size by winter
    - Possible reasons offspring leave before 10-54 months: evidence of wolf pup survival from as young as 4 months, permanent canine teeth in by 7 months, and the long bones cease to grow by 12 months, some females and males capable of breeding by 10 months.
    - Some wolves are not reproductively capable even by three years. U. S. Seal et al. (unpublished data) found that wolf estrogen and androgen (hormones) levels increased until 5 years of age. By staying in the natal pack longer, offspring can mature with the help of their parents, and parents can continue to nature their reproductive investments. Long-time natal pack association can also allow offspring to learn more subtle hunting and foraging behaviours that are not instinctive.
    
    ...To be continued!

[alethe]

Thank you for posting, Tonbei. This will certainly be helpful to the community, espically to those writing realistic wolf stories. I don't have the book myself (if I did I would help), but I haven't been able to buy a wolf book in a while.

[Nordue]

• Anytime river6. It will certainly keep me busy for a long time to come. Even with the small addition I just added, I am only on page 7 of the entire book ! I may never finish, but what I can do is better than nothing at all.

[SolitaryHowl]

Neat, good job.

I have the book as well, if you need help summarizing. Its an excellent read, I encourage everyone to get it.

[Nordue]

• Hey Solitary!
  
  Thanks for the offer. I do this in my free time whenever I feel like it, so progress is very slow. If you'd like to start on any of the other chapters, you are more than welcome to!

[Koa]

Is this still an ongoing project?

[paperpaws]

Never noticed this topic before! I think it's a fantastic idea and would love to purchase the book and potentially help revive or help with the project if you'd like. It's summer, so I've got the time, and it looks like a resourceful book to own to begin with.

[Koa]

Since the thread owner has had their account deleted and no indications have been provided as to whether or not this topic would continue, I will be de-stickying this.